Eldorado schools closing Thursday and Friday due to students sick with flu symptoms

</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[The Eldorado School Distirct is closing Thursday and Friday due to numerous children home sick with flu-like symptoms.

Superintendent Gary Siebert said 190 pupils are out at the elementary school, which is 29 percent of the student body of 665. After consulting with Angie Hampton, executive director of Egyptian Health Department, a decision was reached to close the school system and possibly give the illness a chance to run its course. With the Columbus Day holiday on Monday, the closure will give the school system five days off.

During the closure, custodians will be giving each building a cleaning, Siebert said. At the elementary school, custodians will do a thorough disinfecting.

Though he hasn't closed a building in 40 years as an educator, Siebert said he decided to err on the side of caution this year.

"I'd rather overreact than underreact," Siebert said.